Acoustic Exclusive: Zoe Wren’s New Single

Rising star Zoe Wren has given Acoustic magazine the exclusive first play of her new single.

Wren, a talented young singer-songwriter with a gorgeous voice, was recently awarded a bursary from the PRS Foundation, as part of the Lynsey de Paul prize.

The single, ‘She’s a Highwayman’ – due for official release on November 17 through Folkstock Records – is the first track from her forthcoming second EP Gold and Smoke, out early 2018.

“The song is a twist on the story of the traditional song ‘The Female Highwayman’, in which the protagonist Silvie dresses up as a highwayman and robs her lover in order to test his loyalty,” explains Wren. And she should know a thing or two about that, having just completed her music degree at Cambridge University, which included a dissertation about the voices of women in folk.

“It’s a great example of an independent and intrepid heroine in folklore,” Wren adds. “However in the original story, everything works out fine and goes back to normal. So I wondered what might really happen when Silvie gets her first taste of true freedom, and whether a humorous swapping of gender roles might, in fact, reveal something a bit more interesting.”

Her last single ‘Nothing to See’ was played on BBC Radio 2 and earned rave reviews in Sunday Times Culture Magazine. Wren was picked by Brian McNeill to perform on his Stage 2 showcase, wowed crowds at Cambridge Folk Festival earlier this year and has supported stars like Josienne Clarke and Ben Walker, Peter Knight’s Gigspanner, Jim Causley and Ralph McTell, who recently chose Zoe to open for him at Cambridge Corn Exchange.